There was a lot of excitement surrounding the Steinbach Pistons organization at their first Pistons Prospect Day this past Sunday at the Steinbach Fly-In Golf Course.
There were a total of 13 prospects along with their parents who attended the event. The players who were drafted by Steinbach in either the 2014 or 2015 MJHL drafts enjoyed 9 holes of golf alongside a former or current Pistons player.
“I thought it was a good day,” said Isiah Cockerill, Pistons 2nd round draft pick this past June. “It let us get our mind off of hockey for a bit. We got to meet all the coaches and staff – it was fun.”
After enduring the near 40-degree weather, players and parents retreated indoors for food and refreshments. That then led to the meat of the day when the hockey club presented their vision and values on how the players could benefit their hockey and educational futures by choosing Steinbach.
“I thought it was a great idea, very classy move by the Pistons,” said Mike Bettens, father of Rylan Bettens who was drafted in the third round of the MJHL draft by Steinbach and also in the 3rd round of the WHL draft by the Brandon Wheat Kings.
“My son was super excited to come out. I thought it was a really nice way to introduce the guys to the organization and then get to meet some of the people involved with the team,” Mike said.
Former Steinbach Pistons defenseman Justin Baudry was in attendance, sharing his story about how the Pistons helped him attain an NCAA Division 1 scholarship with Bemidji. Denis Baudry, Justin’s dad also explained his son’s path from a parent’s perspective.
“Our goal today is to educate the guys,” said Pistons Head Coach and General Manager Paul Dyck. “A lot of guys maybe know a little bit about our program, but we wanted them to get a first-hand look. This gave them and us a chance to touch base face-to-face.”
The Pistons Vice President, Claude Vieflaure and the team’s Educational/Goals Advisor, Louis Cote were also a part of the program. Colin Baudry, Hayden Goderis, Dan Taillefer and Tyler Penner took time out of their schedules to make the event even more of a success.
All of the prospects at the event will be invited to the Training Camp, which begins at the end of August.